May 9, 2014

Teeth in a growing fetus begin to develop at
six weeks after conception

About one in every 2,000 babies is born with natal teeth.

Not everyone loses their baby teeth. By age 3, the average child has
a full set of 20 temporary teeth. Children typically start losing
teeth around 5 or 6 and finish in their early teens. If a person
does not have a replacement permanent tooth, that baby tooth will
stay put.

Thirty five percent of people are born without wisdom teeth.

About 2,500 years ago, the Maya already had a very advanced
understanding of teeth. They would have their dentists use a
primitive drill to decorate their teeth. Sometimes they would have
parts of the tooth cut out or shaped to make it look more
interesting. Their most extreme modification was the bejeweling of
teeth.

Ancient Egypt people were using primitive tools made from twigs to
brush their teeth. Many countries still use twigs from trees with
antibacterial properties, such as cinnamon and neem, and they have
been found to be as effective as modern toothbrushes.

Paul Revere, in addition to earning a living as a silversmith and
copper plate engraver, also worked as a dentist. Revere is the first
person known to use dental forensics to identify the body of a
colonial colonel killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill by his dental
bridge.

Some cheeses, including aged cheddar, Swiss, and Monterey Jack have
been found to protect teeth from decay. Grilled cheese and bacon
immediately springs to mind.

Every person has a set of teeth as unique as his or her
fingerprints, and dental fingerprints of identical twins are
different.

According to a Time Magazine Survey, 59% of Americans would
rather sit in a dentist’s chair than sit next to someone on a cell
phone.

Jun 8, 2012

The earliest reference to some aspect of
this expression goes all the way back to the Ancient Egyptians. They
noted that the heliacal rising of the star Sirius heralded the
hottest part of the summer. The star’s hieroglyph is a dog. Sirius
would appear in Egypt just before the season where the Nile
typically floods. So it is thought the star’s hieroglyphic symbol
being a dog symbolized a “watchdog”.

It is the brightest star in what is now known as the Canis Major
(Latin for Greater Dog) constellation. It’s rising marked the start
of the hottest part of the year, which then became the 'Dog Days'.

The Roman’s and Greeks had expressions for Dog Days. They both
believed that, when Sirius rose around the same time as the Sun,
this contributed to that time of year becoming hotter. As such, they
would often make sacrifices to Sirius, including sacrificing dogs,
to appease Sirius with the hope that this would result in a mild
summer and would protect their crops from scorching. Seems to me
that offering dead dogs to a dog might not please him as much as
they thought.

Jul 23, 2010

Sutures have a long and bizarre history, dating back to ancient Egypt, where everything from tree bark to hair was used to stitch human flesh back together again. Archaeological records from ancient Egypt show that Egyptians used linen and animal sinew to close wounds. In ancient India, physicians used the pincers of beetles or ants to staple wounds shut. They then cut the insects’ bodies off, leaving their jaws 'staples' in place.

Other natural materials used to close wounds include flax, grass, cotton, silk, pig bristles, and animal gut. The fundamental principles of wound closure have changed little during the past 4,000 years.